So I'm back in Paris after Spring Break and just managing to get over a mini-flu, which was brought on no doubt by the rigors of long-haul international travel and dare I say...Tokyo withdrawals??
For anyone who has not borne witness to my excessive photo-posting on Instagram (
), I had an AMAAAAZING time in Tokyo.
while I was there, so this post will cover the rest of what was a singularly amazing trip. I feel like I did a pretty decent job in terms of coverage. I hit:
I'll pick up chronologically where I left off in the last post: in the midst of a nighttime visit to the Hanazono shrine, a quiet respite in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku. It was already past 9pm when I arrived at the shrine, but I really safe during my entire time in Tokyo, so staying out late (within reason) was never an issue for me. It was the first time that I had seen a Shinto shrine in real life, along with the bits of
o-mikuji (zigzag bits of paper used to tell fortunes at shrines) tied around pieces of twine. Apparently for a coin or two you can pull one yourself and have your fortune told...I guess this is sort of what fortune cookies in the U.S. are based off of? It was so nice being there alone at night, just picking up on all of the good vibes.
The next day my first stop was the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. To get to the shrine, you have to walk down a meticulously groomed gravel path in the forest park surrounding the shrine. You will pass under several
torii gates on the way to the shrine, as well as walk by some (depending on the season) wine and sake donated to the shrine by japanese producers for celebrations. The straw coverings of the sake barrels were super gorgeous.
Once inside, I purchased an
ema, a little wooden plaque that you can write your wishes on, and hung it on a rack with many other
ema surrounding a huge tree. Later, the shrine monks will "send up" the prayers written on the
ema ( though probs not mine, as it was written in english lol) when doing their daily prayers.
After the tranquility of the Meiji shrine, I headed back into the hustle of the bustle of the city (although first I stopped to nom on a bowl of kitsune udon). The jet lag was kinda slowing my roll, so I decided to check out a Starbucks (I know, "American", but I had a reason!) to get a caffeine fix. I fully intended on getting a regular coffee until I saw that the Starbucks carried the sakura (cherry blossom) frappucinos I'd seen advertised all over Tokyo, as well as during my layover in Shanghai. In the interest of cultural exploration, and frankly, in indulging my obsession with anything the color pink, I decided to give it a try.
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| Apparently this is an iconic store in Harajuku. |
The frappucino, which was strawberry flavored with hints of cherry blossom flavor (as if I would know, frankly) certainly satisfied my need for pink. It ended up being just aight, but the cake was the real MVP.
Freshly sugared up, I was ready to take on Harajuku. In particular, I was looking for
Daiso, a super awesome Japanese dollar store where you can get tons of #kawaii stuff for super cheap. Most things in the store are only 100 yen. I picked up a bunch of souvenirs for my friends and family without breaking the bank.
Harajuku fashion was really cute. In general, I noticed a lot of feminine clothing and pastel colors. Lots of emphasis on accessories. I didn't see any of the famous lolitas or any cosplayers, but perhaps next time.
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| They had these stores that were like a teen girl's fever dream with huge posters of J-Pop stars, vending machines and video games. |
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| Aww the (unofficial) ambassador of signtseeing Harajuku is soooo cute! #kawaii |
That evening, I joined my friend Claire for a gallery party in Harajuku, which was legit. I got to meet an artist friend of hers who had contributed art to the show. The show was put on to promote women in the arts in Japan...so cool!
The next day I made my way over to
TokyoSkyTree: the tallest structure in Japan and second tallest structure in the world, after the Burj Khalifa. There is a fairly substantial mall under the tower, and I got crazy distracted looking at all of the Japanese fashion and cuisine on display. My sister and I are big fans of Rilakkuma (in English: "relaxing bear"), a Hello Kitty-like animated character created solely to "kawaii" the money right out of your wallet. Rilakkuma has a special SkyTree store, and let's just say yo girl was not ready. Was. Not. Ready. I'll spare you the selfies of me pretending to sleep on the stuffed animals. You get the idea. I just about lost my damn mind.
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| Sayonara, Felicia! |
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| On the first platform |
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| On the second platform. It's pretty bright up here... |
After SkyTree, I took the train over to Roppongi Hills. Mori Tower is a great 1-stop destination in Roppongi, as you can visit the Mori Art Musuem and see Tokyo Tower all at once. I knew that Takashi Murakami had an exposition going on, so I made a beeline for that. The expo was great and more impactful than I had anticipated. I hope it comes to the U.S. next so I can see it again!
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| Mori Tower |
After the Murakami exhibit, I went to the city view level of Mori Tower to see Tokyo Tower. Man o' man, is it gorgeous.
My last post talked about the similarities between Tokyo and Paris and I can't believe I forgot this one obvious fact: They both have their own Eiffel (esque) Tower.
Claire works at a super fancy Japanese conglomerate, so her employee i.d. gives her access to cool things, such as the city view level at Mori Tower. The city view level was also hosting a tech expo. Claire came and met me there, and we checked out all of the cool "the future is now" exhibitions on display that you expect to see when you go to Japan.
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| Little mice made out of hard drive pieces! |
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| Modeling for Claire in a light display. |
We went to dinner at this hip place in Roppongi and on the way Claire created a diversion while I snapped pics of the inside of the restaurant that was used in Kill Bill 1. It was more "faux-rustic" looking than in the movie haha.
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| Our resto was full of Japanese books. Feeling hella #intellectual for having read 1Q84 (in English, of course). |
The next trip was day trip day: off to Hakone! Hakone is a small town about 2 hours outside of Tokyo that is famous for it's views of Mt. Fuji (hereafter referred to as Fuji-san) and the many onsens and ryokans that can be found in the folds of it's volcanic hills. I took a pirate ship (no joke, the boat was literally modeled after an English pirate ship, complete with a white dude dressed as a pirate and maps of England on the walls) across Lake Ashi, and from the boat I was able to get some amazing snaps of Fuji-san.
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| Let's be real, I came all this way for the special edition Kit Kat. |
After the boat ride, I took a bus back to the train stop and from there I took a short shuttle to a nearby ryokan/onsen. The onsen/ryokan experience was probably my favorite experience of the whole trip. I didn't stay overnight at the ryokan, but I had dinner at their restaurant: udon and vegetable tempura. I'm vegetarian, and they were good about accommodating my dietary needs. A lot of japanese broths contain fish, but they made me a special batch :) Next up was the
onsen. I opted for the public baths, which had indoor and outdoor bathing pools. The hostess gave me a funny illustrated list of japanese bathing etiquette. Most of it was fairly common sense. One of the funnier tips I saw in a chart posted in the locker room: "Don't wash your underwear in the springs". Has that been a problem before??
The water was super warm and relaxing. I loved looking up at the canopy of the forest above, which was lit from underneath, and the stars in the gaps in between. Super chill and authentic. I was the only
gaikokujin there.
The next day was my last full day in Japan *sadface*. I met with Claire and one of her co-workers for lunch near her work in Chiyoda. Of course, on both of the two times I'm within a stone's throw of the Imperial Palace, it's closed...next time! I saw the iconic Tokyo Station, but it was undergoing some pretty extensive construction, so it was hard to get a decent photo. I took the train to Asakusa to see the Senso-ji Temple. It was pretty impressive. Hard to believe that you're still in the middle of Tokyo. There were a TON of people there, but still an enjoyable experience overall. There are some much calmer, quieter gardens right next to the temple, and if you like koi fish like me (which may or may not be inspired by Pokémon's Magikarp, not gonna say) you should definitely check it out. Like, my fellow
gaikokujin and I were "oooh"-ing and "aaah"-ing over these fish, guys.
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| For good luck! |
On the way back, I randomly came across a cat cafe. Originally, I was reticent to go to any animal cafés because I was concerned about the living conditions of the animals, but cats seemed ok b/c they're domestic and are accustomed to living with humans. These cats seemed super well cared for, as well. I'm not a cat person per se, but I can see why people love them. So agile. So pretty. And they will occasionally let you pet them.
That night, I finally made my way to Robot Restaurant. The ticket was kinda pricey, but I figured it would be fun, and it was my last night in Tokyo! The interior is amazing. Everyone should go just to see it, seriously. It's as if Versace dropped acid in a disco...in the future. And then designed a restaurant.
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| *Versace*Versace*Versace* |
The show was fun! The whole thing was a fairly touristy affair. Actually, I was probably surrounded by more Americans at once than I have been since August. I went by myself, and perhaps it would have been funnier if I had someone with me to snicker with. But honestly, I have watched a decent amount of anime/japanese stuff in my day, so I wasn't particularly "tripped out" like the rest of the audience seemed to be. Kudos to the performers; it's a silly show, but the singing and instruments are being performed live, and the dancers's moves are on point.
There are still sooooo many things I'd like to do in Tokyo specifically and Japan generally, but they say it's always to leave something unseen in a place so you always have a reason to go back :) Specifically, I'm thinking:
- An authentic Kabuki show
- An art museum (or many) with exemplary Edo-era art
- Stay at a ryokan for a night or two
- Do some regional travel to Kyoto or even visit some of the outer lying islands like Osaka
- See the inside of the Imperial Palace
- Feed the deer at Nara
- Check out the shrine at Nikko
I did my best to describe what I did and how much fun I had, but I think a huge part of what made this trip so great was the kindness of the people I met, and the generally welcoming attitude I experienced during my time there. I felt super comfortable there the entire time, which was great considering how I had no idea wha to expect in terms of treatment of foreigners, specifically black foreigners. Tokyo was sooo amazing, and everyone should get there now before the secret is out after the 2020 Olympics!
